It is no secret that healthcare workers have to undertake stressful situations while caring for the health of others. On top of this, a travel nurse faces challenges like adjusting to a different city, a new hospital, and new people such as patients, doctors, and other healthcare workers.
To prevent feeling overwhelmed and burnout, we have gathered five tips to help you reduce nurse fatigue:
Develop a Nightly Routine to Get Full Rest
Due to constant rotating shifts, it is challenging for nurses to maintain stable sleep patterns and good sleep quality.
To prevent trouble sleeping, we recommend establishing a nightly routine that helps you relax, such as:
- Meditate. Practice breathing techniques or follow along meditation routines to help your mind be calm and peaceful. You can find free mediation resources on websites like YouTube or meditation apps.
- Tea Time. Try teas that help you sleep, such as chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm.
- Skip Screens. Melatonin , the hormone that facilitates sleep , levels rise with darkness. Avoid your phone or other screens for 30 minutes before bed.
- Body Temperature. A warm bath or shower helps the core body temperature decline and consequently improve your sleep.
Exercise Regularly
Regular low-intensity exercise can improve sleep quality, increase energy, and reduce fatigue.
We recommended exercising in the morning rather than at night or right before bed. Otherwise, you may have trouble sleeping.
Other health benefits from exercising include reducing stress and anxiety, improving your mood, and improving your overall physical health.
Have a Support System
Traveling can get lonely, especially when it is frequent and for work. Unfortunately, according to several studies, loneliness is strongly linked to fatigue.
To prevent loneliness, we recommend:
- A long-distance support system. Maintain regular contact with your close friends and family , people you can trust who make you feel at home, even when they are miles away.
- Connect with other travel nurses. A perk of traveling is meeting new people, including travel nurses. These nurses may be experiencing similar situations to yours, and talking it out may be helpful for everyone.
Explore the City
One of the principal causes of fatigue is stress. As a travel nurse, exploring the city or engaging in new activities may help to reduce stress.
Try planning a solo adventure or plan a weekend getaway with your colleagues. Depending on your location, you can try outdoor activities like skydiving, surfing, parasailing, hiking, or just walking on the beach. If you are in an urban area, consider exploring local shops, coffee shops, museums, street art installations, and parks.
Eat Mindfully
A healthy diet will prevent your body from quickly getting physically and mentally exhausted.
We recommend avoiding strict diets that are hard or unhealthy to maintain in the long run.
Aim to nurture your body with healthy eating patterns on a daily basis. A healthy diet should allow you to indulge in your cravings in a balanced way and without guilt.
If you don’t have time to cook, you can hire a diet delivery service.
At New Directions Staffing, it is our priority to keep our healthcare staff as healthy and happy as possible. If you are having any issues during your work affairs, please reach out to us. We are here to help!
